SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

I. ENGINEERING MECHANICS 1. Parallelogram laws of forces or method

2. Triangle law of forces or triangular method
Principle of transmissibility of forces 3. Polygon law of forces or polygon method

The state of rest of motion of a rigid body

is unaltered if a force acting in the body is
replaced by another force of the same magnitude 1. It is required that the resultant force acting on
and direction but acting anywhere on the body the eyebolt in the figure shown be directed along
along the line of action of the replaced force. positive x-axis and that F2 have a minimum
For example the force F acting on a rigid magnitude. Determine this magnitude, the angle
body at point A. According to theprinciple of θ, and the corresponding resultant force.
transmissibility of forces, this force has the same
effect on the body as a force F applied at point B.

EQUILIBRIUM OF PARTICLE AND BODY

Equilibrium of a Particle
When the resultant of all forces acting on a
particle is zero, the particle is said to be in
The following two points should be considered
equilibrium.
while using this principle.
A particle which is acted upon two forces
1. In engineering mechanics we deal with only
rigid bodies. If deformation of the body is to be
Newton’s First Law:
considered in a problem. The law of
If the resultant force on a particle is zero, the
transmissibility of forces will not hold good.
particle will remain at rest or will continue at
2. By transmission of the force only the state of
constant speed in a straight line.
the body is unaltered, but not the internal stresses
which may develop in the body. Therefore this
2. Determine the maximum weight of the
law can be applied only to problems in which rigid
flowerpot that can be supported without
bodies areinvolved.
exceeding a cable tension of 50 lb in either cable
AB or AC.
RESULTANT FORCE
A resultant force is a single force, which produce
same affect so that of number of forces can
produce is called resultant force

COMPOSITION OF FORCES
The process of finding out the resultant Force of
given forces (components vector) is called
composition of forces. A resultant force may be
determined by following methods
SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

3. If the bucket and its contents have a total

weight of 20 lb, determine the force in the
supporting cables DA, DB, and DC.

6. Neglecting friction and the weights of the

members, compute the magnitudes of the pin
reactions at A and C for the folding table shown.

Moment of a force
The tendency of a force to move the body
in the direction of its application a force can tend
to rotate a body about an axis. This axis may be
any line which is neitherintersects nor parallel to
7. Determine the forces in members (a) BF; and
the line of the action of the force. This rational
(b) EF. Indicate tension or compression.
tendency of force is known as the moment of
force.

4. Determine (1) the moment of the force F about

point C; and (2) the perpendicular distance
between C and the line of action of F.

SHEAR and MOMENT Diagram

8. Determine the shear force and moment a

point C on the figure shown.

BEAMS AND FRAMES

5. The 500-kg uniform beam is subjected to the

three external loads shown. Compute the
reactions at the support point O.

FRICIONS
A force which prevents the motion or
movement of the body is called friction or force of
friction and its direction is opposite to the applied
SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

external force or motion of the body. Friction is a

force of resistance acting on a body which
prevents or retards motion of the body. Or
When a body slides upon another body, the
property due to which the motion of one relative
to the other is retarded iscalled friction. This force
always acts tangent to the surface at points of
contact with other body and is directed opposite
to the motion of the body. II. Strength of Materials

COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION
The ratio of limiting friction and normal reaction is Mechanics of deformable bodies – deals with
called coefficient of friction and is denoted by μ. the internal effects and deformations that are
Let R = normal reaction caused by the applied loads.
And F = force of friction (limiting friction)
μ = Co efficient of friction
11. The rectangular wood panel is formed by
F /R = μ
gluing together two boards along the 30-degree
F=μR
seam as shown in the figure. Determine the
largest axial force P that can be carried safely by
ANGLE OF FRICTION
the panel if the working stress for the wood is
The angle of a plane at which body just begins to
1120 psi, and the normal and shear stresses in
slide down the plane is called angle of frication.
the glue are limited to 700 psi and 450 psi,
Consider a body resting on an inclined plane as
respectively.
shown in diagram.

9. Determine the maximum force P that can be

applied to block A without causing either block to AXIAL DEFORMATION
move.
12. The steel propeller shaft ABCD carries the
axial loads shown in the figure. Determine the
change in the length of the shaft caused by these
loads. Use E = 29 x 106 psi for steel.

10. The uniform 100-lb plank is resting on friction

surfaces at A and B. The coefficients of static
friction are shown in the figure. If a 200-lb man
starts walking from A toward B, determine the
distance x when the plank will start to slide.
SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

13. The cross section of the 10-m-long flat steel GPa for steel and E = 70 GPa for aluminum.
bar AB has a constant thickness of 20 mm, but its Neglect the weight of the platform.
width varies as shown in the figure. Calculate the
elongation of the bar due to the 100-kN axial load.
Use E = 200 GPa for steel.

14. The steel bars AC and BC, each of cross-

sectional area 120 mm2, are joined at C with a
pin. Determine the displacement of point C
caused by the 15-kN load. Use E = 200 GPa for THERMAL STRESS
steel.

17. The rigid, horizontal slab is attached to two

identical copper rods. There is a gap 0.18 mm
between the middle bar, which is made of
aluminum, and the slab. Neglecting the mass of
the slab, calculate the stress in each rod when
STATICALLY INDETERMINATE PROBLEMS the temperature in the assembly is increased by
85°C. Use the following data:
15. The concrete post in figure is reinforced
axially with four symmetrically placed steel bars,
each of cross-sectional area 900 mm2. Compute
the stress in each material when the 1000kN axial
load is applied. The moduli of elasticity are 200
GPa for steel and 14 GPa for concrete

16. Before the 400-kN load is applied, the rigid

platform rests on two steel bars, each of cross-
sectional area 1400 mm2, as shown in the figure.
The cross-sectional area of the aluminum bar is
2800 mm2. Compute the stress in the aluminum
bar after the 400-kN load is applied. Use E = 200
SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

TORSION
19. Both ends of the steel shaft are attached to
rigid supports. Find the distance a where the
torque T must be applied so that the reactive
torques at A and B are equal.

STRESSES IN BEAMS

20. A beam with the square cross section shown

carries a maximum bending moment of 8000 lb /
ft. Determine the maximum bending stress if the
beam is first oriented as shown in (a), and then as
shown in (b). For both orientations, the z-axis is
the neutral axis; that is, the axis about which the
bending moment acts.

SHEAR STRESS IN BEAMS

18. Figure shows a 2-in.-diameter solid steel

cylinder that is built into the support at C and
subjected to the torques TA and TB. (1)
Determine the maximum shear stresses in 21. The cast iron inverted T-section supports two
segments AB and BC of the cylinder; and (2) concentrated loads of magnitude P. The working
compute the angle of rotation of end A. Use G = stresses are 48 MPa in tension, 140 MPa in
12 X 106 psi for steel. compression, and 30 MPa in shear. If d = 48.75
mm and that the moment of inertia of the cross-
sectional area about this axis is I = 11.918 X 106
mm4. Find the maximum allowable value of P.
SPTOPICS: PRINCIPLES OF STRUCTURAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS 1

COMBINED STRESSES

22. The rectangular beam ABC, 100 mm wide by

400 mm deep, is supported by a pin at A and the
cable CD. Determine the largest vertical force P
that can be applied at B if the normal stress in the
beam is limited to 120 MPa.